The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) as organiser the German Table Tennis Federation (DTTB) as host and local club ttc berlin eastside will jointly host the ranking tournament Europe Youth Top 10 from 9 to 11 October with the 40 best young players on the continent including four Germans.
The second weekend in October will see the 36th edition of the European ranking tournament. After events in Löhne in 1993 and 1999 the tournament will be held in Germany for the first time after 21 years. At the most important continental tournament after the European Championships four prestigious titles will be awarded in the German capital in the categories Junior Girl Junior Boys Cadet Girls and Cadet Boys. In the 35-year history of this traditional event German players have won 18 gold medals and a total of 38 medals. Prominent names on the list of winners include the stars Timo BOLL Dimitrij OVTCHAROV Patrick FRANZISKA Petrissa SOLJA and Sabine WINTER who are still competing internationally.
As things stand at present host Germany will be represented in the Berlin sports hall on Anton-Saefkow-Platz with at least four youngsters among the total of 40 participants including even two players who have already entered the winners’ list. Kay Stumper who intends to defend his title in the Junior Boys’ competition will be at the start as will Sophia KLEE who was successful in the 2017 Cadet Girls’ competition. As in the previous year Annett KAUFMANN who won silver in her debut in the youngest class in 2019 would like to have a say in the awarding of the Cadet Girls’ title. Fourth in the German quartet will be Lleyton ULLMANN int the Cadet Boys’ event who unlike the three other DTTB aces is not directly qualified but the place for the host association.
The current top favourites in the four categories are the leaders of the European ranking: Samuel KULCZYCKI from Poland (Junior Boys) Isa COK from France (Junior Girls) Darius MOLIVEANU from Romania (Cadet Boys) and Anna BRYSKA from Poland (Cadet Girls). Three rounds per day will be played in Berlin according to the ‘everyone against everyone’ system. All matches are player in the system ‘best of five’ Cadet-categories play in the morning Junior-categories in the afternoon and early evening. Two of the five tables will be streamed live on Laola1.tv for the entire tournament.
With ttc berlin eastside an experienced organiser is dedicating itself to the exclusive meeting of talents.
President Alexander TEICHMANN is looking forward to the tournament: “Through women’s table tennis at the highest level in the Bundesliga and Champions League but also through the organisation of international matches and the German Championships 2018 we are very familiar with the organisation of top events in Berlin. We are looking forward to hosting Europe’s youth elite in October and we are well prepared in every respect also with regard to the conditions caused by the Covid 19 pandemic”.